Bringing the Dawn [IN EDITING]

***XXIV.

Jaeron Targaryen

On route to Greywater Watch, 301 AC

The ship back to Greywater Watch felt like it was taking months on end. The ship they had been provided at Starfall was one of the fastest they had, and this was made obvious as they passed the nearby peninsula beside Sunspear within a couple of hours. He had only been in the castle that had stood for who knows how long for about the same amount of time, but that felt quick in comparison.

They had mostly avoided the Stepstones which was probably a good thing considering their reputation. Numerous pirates fought there, and multiple people style themselves rulers of the isles in question. Where if the Northern tales were true, the Children had broken the arm of Dorne to stop the First Men coming through as his ancestors waged their bloody war against the ancient creature now long extinct. Along the way, they passed places he'd only ever read about, and he would be lying if he said he didn't feel like a giddy child.

Tarth- nicknamed the sapphire isle due to the blue of its waters. A statement that was proven true as at times Jaeron could've sworn he could see the bottom of the sea. Multiple creatures underneath he had only ever seen drawings of in books. Numerous fish, sea snakes (or eels as Arthur called them, stating on the side they apparently tasted good), starfish, jellyfish. The list went on and on and he felt like a little child being told he could have as many sweets as he liked. Around the coast until they were at the Crownland's, the Blackwater Bay opening far and wide. It stunned him that the capital lay there. Despite wanting nothing to do with a crown, he couldn't deny he was beginning to get angsty about it.

But it was when they passed two large isles that he was left awed. A part of him had wanted to ask the captain to dock so he could walk around Driftmark and Dragonstone, but he had managed to bite his tongue. He was only meant to go to Starfall, and he knew he was going to be in for an earful from Howland for going off to Sunspear to broker talks with the Martell's. Something he was not looking forward to.

However, the captain did grant him one boon. By sailing around his ancestral Seat so he could see the castle in full view. Just thinking that Stannis Baratheon was currently residing within those walls made him angry. But he couldn't hold much resentment for the man, remembering his aunt's words to him when she had come down to Greywater Watch to speak to him. Family before duty, and duty before honour. Stannis had a duty to his brother who was the Lord Paramount at the time, and this duty compelled him to support the campaign.

The Valyrian's of the Freehold were renowned for their use of dragon flame. Hotter than regular flame to the point it could melt certain rocks, and they had used this well. Fusing numerous blocks together to create one single large slab of the material which they built the castle from. The stone turning a midnight shade upon being scorched, standing a couple of hundred feet tall with its many towers. Dozens of gargoyles of interesting creatures guarding the walls. Two massive carvings of dragon heads at the entrance. Seeing this made him excited to see his own again alongside Ghost. He hadn't felt like himself since leaving them, and he wondered how much they had grown.

Along the way, they also passed Claw Isle, Gulltown, Runestone, and the Fingers. Each one of them igniting a portion of his brain to yearn for more. Wondering what it would be like to go riding through the nearby towns, speak to the people, get to know their ways of life. By the time they reached the Three Sisters, it truly felt like a month had gone by. Every day he would wake up to watch the sunrise, they would break their fast on freshly caught fish from the waters they were sailing on, discuss tactics for an hour or so, and then train. Until his body ached so badly he felt like he could collapse any second. Despite this, Arthur pushed him on and on, and signs were beginning to show with it.